Trust the Hard Work. Reap the Rewards.

When the Boston Celtics finalized the complete end of their historic and memorable big three ensemble that consisted of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen in 2014 via a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, the direction the franchise expected to go through was predictable peaks and valleys that are common with a strenuous rebuilding stage. Giving up on an aging but legendary Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett a year after Ray Allen jettisoned to the Miami Heat for less money seemed like a death sentence through a possible half-decade reconstruction formula. A rebuild in all sports is necessary, but at the same time invites a period of watoness for a franchise's fan base and a period of endless mediocrity for the personnel involved from top to bottom. The transaction between the Celtics and Nets provided Boston with players amongst the league and even overseas, but the meat of the deal was the bevy of first-round draft picks Boston had in their pockets for 2016, 2017, and 2018 which were formerly owned by the Nets.

Boston used their two picks gifted to them by the Nets in 2016 to select two shooting guards in Jaylen Brown and James Young. At hindsight it seemed like a confusing transaction to select two players that are the same age and play the same position, but looking back, it gave the Celtics a fall back option if one of the two didn't pan out at the next level. In year two, Brown's evolving three point shot and control game speed finally caught up to his elite athleticism resulting into the lottery prospect Boston fully invested in. The contrasting side was the resulting factor of James Young's career whos sneaky athleticism and nice three-point shot figured him to be in future play at the guard spot as well along with Brown. The athleticism never really fully resurfaced, his shot didn't translate to the next level, and he in general has fizzled out with the team and has become a G-League staple currently amongst his peers

In 2017, when it wasn't deemed the popular move to do so, Celtic's General Manager Danny Ainge traded down from the number one spot in the NBA Draft and fell back at number three feeling the prospect he wanted would still be in the same spot they dropped into. Using the Nets draft fortunes to their advantage yet again, Boston's third pick formulated into the polished and refined Freshman Small Forward Jayson Tatum. Tatum wasn't overtly recognized as the top four or even top five prospect coming into the draft process because he wasn't heavily featured as an offensive weapon at his Alma Matter Duke University as an eighteen-year-old. However, he was regarded as the best high school prospect in America coming out of the St.Louis, Missouri, area and it was because of his smooth offensive scoring style at three levels of the court: The post, The mid-range, and the three-point line. Tatum's defensive upside due to his long arms and wingspan materialized within the defensive culture that head coach Brad Stevens established since he received the job in 2015 parlaying a modern day formula of team offense and team defense through the refinement of individual and team skills.

2018 is where Boston cemented the foreclosure of their rebuilding process by replacing stopgap PG Isaiah Thomas who played his way into being damaged goods during the 2017 Playoffs for Cleveland Cavalier Point Guard Kyrie Irving. By sending off their brooklyn lottery pick to the Cavs with former players Jae Crowder and Ante Zisic, they provided another All-Star with free-agent signee Gordon Hayward to compete for Eastern Conference Supremacy in future NBA seasons.

The steps taken to get here have allowed Boston to still be competitive to this day event with Hayward and Irving out with Injury. Through the emergence of a couple of other draft prospects in Marcus Smart (selected 6th overall in 2014) and Terry Rosier (Selected 16th overall in 2015), Boston completed the rebuilding process that everyone thought would have them wallowing in stagnation for half of decade into a four-year reconstruction plan that has them two wins away from the NBA Finals. In an era where tanking somehow someway is revered as the go-to in creating a winner ladened with future all-stars, Boston took the lunch pail approach. Scouts went behind the scenes and evaluated all draft prospects and came to terms with the individual that was best suited for the Celtics style of play regardless if it was a hit or miss. In the immediate present, Brad Stevens incorporated a coaching foundation of hard work, discipline, accountability, and growth for every player among his roster no matter if they were a rookie or a veteran, here today or gone tomorrow. It allowed them to reach the playoffs in Steven's first year as an NBA head coach and from there built their way into an undisputed force in the National BasketBall Association. Then there's Danny Ainge, Boston's General Manager who makes all the deals happen as a front office worker. There was a dry spell before 2014 where he hit and missed on a lot of prospects with only Avery Bradley being his crowning jewel during the Doc Rivers Era. However, since Brad Stevens has come and incorporated his style of play, Ainge has hit home on at least one gem in every draft class created since 2014 and could possibly expect to do so yet again in a loaded 2019 draft class having The Sacramento Kings draft pick at his disposal